Little Drops of Peace
by kokitsune
Summary: The Hound, a loyal pack animal in it's core, and The Owl, a solitary bird of prey. In ANBU, their paths intertwined and they settled into a comfortable pattern of carrying out missions in silence and little real intimacy. Outside of ANBU is different. While Kakashi transitioned back into the regular forces, back into the light, Owl remained in the dark shadows of ANBU. Kakashi x OC
1. Chapter 1

_Full summary_ : The Hound, a loyal pack animal in it's core, and The Owl, a solitary bird of prey. During their ANBU years, their paths intertwined and they settled into a comfortable pattern of carrying out their missions in silence and little real intimacy. Out of ANBU, everything is different. While Kakashi transitioned back into the regular forces, back into the light where he has the chance to come to terms with everything life has thrown at him, even having the opportunity to rebuild his pack, Owl remained in the dark shadows with ANBU. Their paths don't cross again until a mission brings them together, where they are both forced to work together again.

Also, Hayate lives.

[Chapters take place during the Interlude Period between Naruto and Shippuden. Intersects are set during the ANBU period]

* * *

 _Disclaimer: Everything is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. Only own my OCs._

AN: A fair warning - this is not an action packed story. This is a character driven story, with little action scenes. Anything that deviates from canon will be explained in ANs prior to the story This story will have two timelines: the Chapters will deal with the story proper that deals with the time period between Naruto and Shippuden, when Naruto is training for two and a half years with Jiraiya. Intersects will deal with pre-Naruto events.

* * *

 **Chapter One**

The gentle light of the full moon, the quiet rustling of the leaves, the wind tenderly caressing her skin – that was all she could feel.

 _Drip drop_.

Her sweat dripped down her face and fell to the hard earth beneath her as she let herself fall to her knees in the middle of the courtyard. Was it her sweat? She didn't know anymore. It could have been her sweat, her tears, or maybe, most probably, blood.

She let herself glance down as she finally felt her lungs fill with air again, as if it stopped even though she logically knew that _no, it did not_ , it was just adrenaline filling her veins, charging her on past what she had thought she could do.

Red.

She saw red drops on the ground, and not the transparent appearance of sweat (or tears) meeting the earth. It was definitely blood, but not her blood. No, she knew she was bleeding, but in areas that her kimono was decidedly covering up.

She let herself bend over, let her hands drop to the ground as she caught her breath, actively making herself breathe in and breathe out – she accomplished her mission and more. She got all the Intel she needed, she just needed to get out.

She would be getting out alive, that was only thing she was sure of now that she had killed them all, all the bastards she had been forced to stay with during the year long mission.

Now, she just needed to get back home.

Home.

It was a weird word. What was home now? Was it Konoha? Or was it the Royal Court in the Capital? After all, one was where she grew up, where she had family. The other was where her heart's true loyalty lay - even if it kept sending her on missions such as these.

Breathe in, and breathe out.

Philosophical questions such as those could wait.

She was alive, she had the Intel (more than what she expected), they were all dead, and _she was alive_. Now, all she needed to do was get out of whatever shithole she was in and make the journey to Konoha.

It was only a five-day journey.

But first, she had to heal herself.

Or was it to rest up until she could gather enough chakra to heal herself?

Yes, that sounded better. It sounded like something that was wise. But, given everything that had happened, she didn't think she was up to being very wise as opposed to getting the hell out of here.

She groaned and let herself cry out.

A weakness, some may have said, but there was no one there to hear.

The gentle light of the full moon, the quiet rustling of the leaves, the wind tenderly caressing her skin, the flap of wings from a bird flying overhead, and the soft cooing of an owl from the nearby woods.

She needed to focus, to concentrate, needed to think of a plan. Crying and commiserating could come later, survival needed to happen first.

With rough fits and starts, she managed to pick herself up.

Not even enough chakra for a summons to help her out.

It took minutes, it felt like hell, but she managed to stand up. Wincing in pain, she forced herself to limp slowly, _slowly_ , and step by step away.

The gentle light of the full moon, the quiet rustling of the leaves, the wind tenderly caressing her skin, the flap of wings from a bird, the creaks of the damn gate that needed to be oiled, and the sounds of paws of some nearby animal hitting the ground.

It felt like eternity, felt like forever, until she reached the gate and allowed herself to lean onto it, trying to catch her breath as she grabbed the canteen of water hanging on a corpse that was impaled on the wall.

He didn't need it, and she sure as hell did.

Water went down her throat and she felt like crying tears of joy. Water had never tasted so good, even this water from someone she had just killed.

It was then that she felt it.

Incoming chakra, and very fast at that.

She had no hope that she could outrun them.

Fight them it is.

And then, as they came closer, she felt her head go dizzy when she realized she knew this chakra signature. She knew it. She knew the owner. Which could only mean one thing: Konoha.

The Konoha ANBU extraction she had sent her summons to request for all those days ago.

Or it could be any random ninja from the village. Would this warrant an ANBU team? Maybe it was genin level, she didn't really know anymore.

It's been a long time since she stepped foot in Konoha for more than a day.

Hell, it's been a year since she even stepped out of the shithole that was…wherever this was.

Whoever was coming would be in for a sight.

And she prayed they had a healer with them because, _fuck_ , her legs hurt and her shoulders ached and she was pretty sure a chunk of her side was taken out and would require at least a week of her in the hospital.

She coughed and felt her shinobi-honed senses go on hyper drive.

The Konoha ANBU team – or whoever from Konoha – had arrived.

She opened her eyes and forced herself to look at their general direction, forcing herself to keep calm and to keep herself together. As soon as they were here, she had to give them a report and tell them she had no energy (or chakra) left to deal with all the evidence. And then she could collapse on whoever's poor soul was nearest.

The figures, three of them plus a dog, meaning there might be an Inuzuka, came into view and she almost, _almost,_ let our a cheer.

ANBU masks. It was ANBU.

She straightened up as much as she could and then waited until one of them stepped into hearing distance.

"Minamino Yuzuki, tokubetsu jonin, Ninja Registration Number 011701." She managed, throat still sore and voice still weaker than she would have wished. "I sure hope you have a healer with you."

"Yuzuki."

She stilled, the whole world came to a stop, when she heard that voice, that person who said her name with such familiarity and….intimacy.

No.

Not him.

Anybody but him.

She did not have the energy to deal with herself, much less Hatake Kakashi.

"Yuzuki," the masked figure took a step closer and Yuzuki instinctively took a step back, her body acting on its own desires, trying to get away even when her brain knew she would never be able to outrun him.

Not that she ever could, in any case.

"No," she cursed at how weak it sounded, and said the word again until she could get it out with enough force. "No. No. No. No."

He sighed, and pulled his outstretched hand away. "Fine. Report."

Hearing those words, she nodded and tried to gain composure, letting herself also look at the three other masked figures. "Mission goals have been accomplished. Certain…events made me need to get myself out as soon as I could. Unfortunately, it also involved killing them all. Chakra reserves low."

The figure she knew was Kakashi nodded and added in something else even as his right hand glowed a soft green, healing chakra, and he stepped up to Yuzuki, grabbing her arm before she could escape. "And injured. We'll get you healed before-"

Yuzuki struggled against his hold, or at least she tried to as best as she could. "Not you, not you!"

* * *

"Due to the shortage in personnel, you have been requested to resume you position as Hound for an ANBU mission. Kakashi, you will gather your team and head out as soon as possible to extract Minamino Yuzuki from a location her summons will guide you to. This is to be done at once, and is top priority."

As soon as Tsunade handed over the small summons, a sparrow, and let him go, Kakashi gathered his team (Yamato and Yugao were all he needed) and set off.

He couldn't really pinpoint when he had decided one of his goals as a shinobi became making sure he would be there for those that were there for him when he was at his lowest.

Minamino Yuzuki was one of the few people who was teammate, trusted friend (to a certain extent), and reliable comrade. It didn't matter that they hadn't spoken in years; something he knew was partially his fault.

If she needed an extraction, then whatever mission she was on was dangerous, potentially deadly, and she needed help. He had the opportunity, so he would help.

It was a five day journey, and when he finally arrived near her location, her summons, a sparrow, vanished suddenly, and he knew it could only mean her chakra had been exhausted.

They had arrived just in time.

He paused to sniff the air, tilting his face up to the moon as the wind drafted their way.

Blood was all he smelled, and lots of it.

Speeding towards the direction, he summoned Bull as a precaution - for attacking, or for serving as an identifier.

They saw someone reach the gate.

It may have been years since they last spoke outside of the civil politeness both were ingrained and bred in, but he would know that chakra anywhere.

"She looks like shit," Yamato muttered darkly as they all prepared for any potential outcomes as they approached her.

Kakashi saw her straighten up as they came closer and he absently noted that she was still stubborn with such matters. Not that he could judge, seeing he was…well, he was himself and he knew from experience that he could be just a stubborn as she was, if not more.

"Minamino Yuzuki, tokubetsu jonin, Ninja Registration Number 011701." He noted that she barely managed to let that out without having to pause, her throat surely giving her problems. "I sure hope you have a healer with you."

"Yuzuki."

He let her name out before he could stop himself, and then froze when he saw her become still. Since she undoubtedly knew who he was, he repeated himself, in his usual voice, hoping it masked whatever gentleness he had earlier. "Yuzuki."

He stepped closer, wanting to help her because she was so obviously in pain, and he knew the look of blood drenched clothes when he saw one, but instead, she stepped back and kept muttering the word "no," increasingly louder each time.

Whatever had happened had damaged her.

As was the case for most S-rank missions, Kakashi knew, but he knew that she had accomplished several S-rank missions before. He was leading the team for at least five of her S-ranks.

He internally sighed and stepped back, forcing himself to slip into the official, ANBU captain mode that came so naturally to him. "Fine. Report."

Almost as if a burden had been lifted, she took a deep breath and gave her report. "Mission goals have been accomplished. Certain…events made me need to get myself out as soon as I could. Unfortunately, it also involved killing them all. Chakra reserves low."

Kakashi sighed inwardly. Still the same old Yuzuki, not that he was really one to talk. He signaled for Yamato and Yugao to deal with the bodies (and all the blood, and the buildings) and decided to focus on this achieving the primary goal of their mission: extracting Yuzuki and getting her back to Konoha safely.

He wasn't that good of a healer, but he knew enough practical first aid to at least get her through until they reached the nearest Konoha outpost at the border where a healer was sure to be assigned. He reached behind him with one hand to the scroll that kept some first aid tools, while grasped her with his other hand. "And injured. We'll get you healed before-"

He felt her struggle against her hold. "Not you, not you!"

Kakashi would have the time and energy to deal with this – whatever it was that was bothering her because he knew that something was wrong because she didn't flinch, she slapped, she hit back, or she shoved, but she never struggled like this – and grabbed her face by the jaw as gently as he could while still keeping control.

"I'm sorry."

Those were the only words he whispered when he slipped his headband up and forced her under a genjutsu of his Sharingan, one that made her slump into his arms, limp and asleep.

"Shall we do the standard bury and burn once we comb through the buildings one last time?" Yugao asked as she stepped away from Yamato, who was already gathering bodies in the courtyard for burial.

"Yes. The two of you are more than capable to handle that." Kakashi replied after he got Yuzuki ( _so thin, when had she gotten this thin)_ onto Bull's back. "I'll get her to the nearest outpost. We'll meet there at noon."

"Yes sir." Yugao let out a small smile. "I would have some chocolate ready for when she wakes up, if I were you."

Kakashi sighed. "Even I know that."

Almost unbidden, images of a body curled up in a bed came to mind, of blankets wrapped around legs, of dark brown hair against naked skin, as the same person was reaching for a bar of chocolate from her bedside.

 _"Lock the door behind you, Hatake."_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but my OCs and plot._

 **AN:** Thank you EtheriaDragneel and fluffpenguin for the reviews! Additionally, since my semester started this week, and grad school is a major headache, I do plan on updating this every two weeks. Instead of my usual 5k-10k word count, each chapter will also be around 2k-3k instead.

Additional side note: anything in [these brackets] are flashbacks. Also, Hayate lives.

* * *

With a muffled groan and a muttered curse was how she woke up. It was an interesting sight to Kakashi, who had thought this particular habit would have died out by now. But apparently, even as a 22 year old ( _or maybe she was 23 now?_ ), Owl still had the same process of waking up.

A groan and a muttered curse, before searching for whatever cursed thing had woken her up.

In this instance, Kakashi was sure it was the comings and goings of the patrol chuunin who hadn't really mastered the art of moving quietly like ANBU operatives had. While this base was in a classified location, after all, they were still on foreign land, albeit not in one of the larger and more powerful countries. Silently, and without taking his eyes off his Icha Icha, he placed a chocolate bar he had gotten from an Akimichi that was part of the patrol, and leaned back as she slowly woke up.

[And she was a slow one to wake up. While it was years since the last time he watched her wake up, he still remembered that long leisurely stretch she would take, with a low moan escaping from her lips. It would be minutes before she moved again, spending that time bundled under her blanket, as if trying to postpone the inevitable act of getting out of bed.

He also knew that she knew he was there, since she was one of the best sensors in ANBU. Normally, she would have been placed on his team - his team specialized in tracking, capture, and assassination, she would have worked well with locating subjects. But she had instead found her way to another division, had chosen to specialize in other fields outside his team's scope.

When she finally moved from her position, it would be to reach over to the chocolate that she kept at her bedside.

 _"I need to recharge,"_ was what she had muttered out when she saw him looking at her, still in the process of putting his clothes on. She lazily sat up, holding the blanket he had haphazardly thrown over her when he had gotten up. She took a bite as she watched him put his shirt on and put his mask in place. By the time he was fully clothed, she had placed her chocolate back. She gave him a final brief wave and settled back into bed.

She didn't say anything else as he left, locking the door behind him.]

"Fuck," was the first audible word from her, as she opened her eyes. He heard sharp and forced breathing before he saw her attempt to sit up.

He reached over slowly, not wanting to surprise her with sudden movement, and placed the chocolate on her lap. "Don't get up."

#

Yuzuki felt his presence before she heard him or saw him. How could she not when he wasn't even bothering to mask his chakra - well, he technically was masking his chakra, but not enough that a sensor such as herself couldn't feel him. Or something like that. Her head hurt, she was sure a portion of her torso needed stitching, and her throat was itchy and dry. She couldn't think properly and wanted nothing but to drown herself in painkillers.

Of all her missions, who knew this small, inconsequential, supposedly innocent A-rank - one meant to be a break between her bigger, usual missions - would be the one to take her out. Her past missions never ended up with her to the point of chakra exhaustion - not the one where she somehow had to convert the Wind Daimyo to favor Konoha (shame the Daimyo had very recently been removed and replaced by his uncle after that failed invasion), nor the one where she pretended she was a geisha from the Land of Iron while entertaining the Daimyo of the Land of Water, nor the one that started in a brothel gathering intelligence on Iwa-nin movements that somehow landed her smack dab in the middle of the Royal Court of the Earth Daimyo _while the man was being guarded by Iwa-nin_.

No, it was this little mission to infiltrate and spy on some sort of rag-tag gang network that did her the most damage.

At least the extraction had arrived just in time. Yuzuki knew that if they had come an hour later, she would most likely be bleeding to death, would already be dead. But then, one could always rely on Konoha ANBU extractions, especially from ex-ANBU Hatake Kakashi. After all, if there was someone whose ninken knew her scent well, it was his. He did extract her from the whole Iwa-nin debacle before she could be forced in too deep, and that whole geisha thing in the Land of Water.

Good ol' dependable Hatake Kakashi.

Kami, did she need a stronger painkiller.

"Fuck." She hissed-groaned out as she tried to sit up, grasping her left side with her right arm the whole time.

Yuzuki felt him move, and attempted not to freeze up, silently scolding herself because _Hatake Kakashi is not one of them_ and would never willingly hurt her unless she gave him a very good reason too _._

She felt something being placed on her lap, and looked down to see that it was some chocolate.

"Don't get up."

It was a long moment later before she could force herself to nod her head and take the chocolate. "Thank you." She forced out, voice still coming out raspy. She glanced at him from the side, and when she was sure his lazy gaze was on her, she gestured for some water.

While he got up to get her a glass of water, Yuzuki focused on trying to open the cardboard of the chocolate, and to get the crinkly aluminum wrapper off it. She felt Kakashi return and hand her the water.

Yuzuki gave it a forlorn glance.

Kakashi sighed and helped her take small sips, careful not to actually touch her, of which Yuzuki was thankful for. It wasn't him, it really was her. She had enough of being touched and would just like some space, if that wasn't too much to ask.

"Yuugao will be back soon. She went to the nearby village to get you some clothes to change into."

Yuzuki brightened up at the mention of new clothes and leaned away from the glass, signaling she was done and went back to her mini war with the chocolate, one that she was loosing because she was just took weak and needed maybe one or two soldier pills to get her through.

She heard a sigh and saw a hand in front of her, giving her a signal to give him the chocolate. With no hesitation - she wanted her chocolate, she didn't care how she got it, she just needed the comfort chocolate melting in her mouth gave her - she handed it to Kakashi. Within seconds, the candy was unwrapped and broken up into smaller, bite sized pieces for her.

Again, good ol' reliable Hatake Kakashi.

She savored the first bite, and the second, but after the third, she finally felt her energy come back. Looking at the paper cover, she realized why - Akimichi made chocolate. Already better than having to resort to soldier pills or worse, ration bars. She opened and closed her palm in front of her, testing out her grasping skills and strength before reaching for the glass of water again.

She turned her head slightly to Kakashi, finally taking notice that he was in ANBU apparel, and she was sure that if she focused, she would find his Hound mask somewhere near him. "I thought you left ANBU five years ago. Heard the Hokage forced you out."

"I did," was his reply. He flipped to another page of his book. "Due to the failed invasion, we're a bit stretched in personnel at the moment, so I was asked to head the team to extract you, on the advice of the ANBU Commander."

"Ah." She took her fourth bite of chocolate. "So Tsunade-sama ordered you to get me." When a silence fell between them, Yuzuki felt the need to fill it in. "I've been in regular contact with the Hokage since she returned to Konoha. I wasn't told anything about the impact of the failed invasion, care to tell me more?"

"You'll be debriefed." Kakashi glanced up towards the door as a knock came. "Yuugao is back. I'll tell her you need a change in wrappings."

Yuzuki watched as he gathered his things quickly and headed out the door. The reluctance of personal connections was something she expected from herself, not from - okay, also from him. Or the old him, at least. With a mental shake in the head, she sighed.

Yep. Good ol' reliable Hatake Kakashi.

#

It was an hour before Yuzuki went back to sleep, and Yuugao made her way to the small common area where Yamato and Kakashi were sprawled out. Well, Kakashi was sprawled out on the couch, Yamato was seemingly meditating when he noticed she was back and glanced up. "Well?"

"Yuzuki will be ready to go back to Konoha tomorrow. There will be a few stops needed to replace bindings, but it'll be best to get her to a hospital as soon as feasible." Yuugao strode to the kitchenette and poured herself some coffee before sitting down on the opposite couch and finishing her report on Yuzuki's current state of being.

"She was only supposed to investigate who was in charge of the group and take him out. Tuns out, it was a consolidation of different groups, she got different orders to investigate further, and landed in the middle of a sex trafficking trade - males, females, and children."

Kakashi spoke up, although he remained in position, not taking his eyes of his book. "I take it that it was the children part that made her go on a killing spree?"

"Yes." Yuugao took a sip from her mug. "She says she also has a list of high ranking officials that took part in it. Yuzuki is positive that she can name three from the Capital."

"Well, this is turning into a disaster." Kakashi finally looked up. "Yamato, borrow one of the messenger hawks and tell Konoha to send an advance team. I don't want any of the Intel she has to be compromised."

"Got it." Yamato stood up and exited the room, going off to do just that.

Kakashi pointed the novel at Yuugao. "You stay with her inside. I want eyes on Yuzuki at all times."

Yuugao raised an eyebrow. "Usually, I wouldn't complain, but normally you keep an eye on her on extraction missions."

Kakashi didn't look fazed at all. "It was fairly obvious that she's not…comfortable with men at the moment."

"Oh?" Yuugao sat up straighter, interested. "And you know that…how?"

Kakashi kept his face blank. "I doubt she's ever completely comfortable with anyone," he ignored Yuugao's pointed glance because _yes, he knew that he was not exactly one to judge on that aspect_ , but he continued anyway. "Yuzuki hits people or glares at them when she's…normal. She meets their gaze, she doesn't avoid them."

"Interesting analysis there, Captain."

"Since when did you give me cheek?" Kakashi was suddenly missing the days when he was still captain of Team Ro and Yuugao new on his team, eager to please.

"Hayate's been hanging out with Genma."

"Ah. Genma."

That explained everything, really. Shiranui Genma was a talented shinobi, and a formidable jonin when he wanted to. While the man was the head of the Hokage's security team and rarely went on long missions outside the village - Kakashi doubted the man had gone on more than a handful of suicide missions, if at all - Genma still had a reputation as hard to beat.

Of course, Genma also had a reputation to be a bit of a rogue and maker of low-key mischief who didn't take much seriously. He had been rubbing off his colleagues. Kakashi really wished that he didn't.

Kakashi made a mental note to never let Genma get close to Naruto, whenever Naruto came back. He trusted Sakura to beat the older man up if needed.

#

It was three days before they crossed the border and officially entered Land of Fire territory. Those three days were spent with them cautiously moving away from the Konoha outpost. Yuzuki was sure that if she weren't injured the way she was, they would have done the typical ANBU approach: running non stop, eating while running, taking quick five minute pee breaks. The five day trip would have been done in a little over a day, two days at the most if they were going the extra mile to cover up their tracks.

Instead, it took them three days due to her. Her chakra exhaustion had taken it's toll and had made it impossible for her to do the usual ANBU sprint. Instead, they were taking thirty minutes break every four hours. During those breaks, Yuugao would usually take a look at her injury, and would change the bandages when needed. At night, Kakashi would summon Bull and most of the ground would be covered then.

Several hours after crossing the border, they finally found themselves entering Konoha, being waved through the usual security measures by their ANBU masks. That and Kakashi had told Yamato ahead of time to go sort Yuzuki's clearance.

"You're to go straight to the hospital." Kakashi told her as he stopped at a rooftop just a few blocks away from the said building. "Rabbit and I will go see the Hokage."

Yuzuki noticed the official, ANBU Captain tone in his voice and by instinct, stood up straighter and nodded. She knew a command issued by a commanding officer when she heard it.

Hours later, with night already at it's peak, Yuzuki was settled into the hospital room when she heard a knock on the door. Before she could say anything, the door slid open and in came a blonde, busty woman that could only be Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage.

Yuzuki sat up straighter in her presence. "Hokage-sama."

"You can relax," were Tsunade's first words to her, as the older woman checked the clipboard at the foot of her bed, reading the health chart. "Hound only gave me a brief overview, but 58 confirmed kills and you only have bruised ribs and a chunk of your side formerly missing." She paused as she set the clipboard back.

"Yes."

Yuzuki found her blue eyes meeting the Hokage's amber eyes and Yuzuki found herself holding back the urge to gulp. She had seen this look before - and it scared her. It brought back long forgotten memories of a disappointed and angry mother from a little over a decade ago, and that made her very uncomfortable.

Tsunade grinned as she saw the younger woman grow increasingly uneasy in front of her. "I think we both need to have a talk."

* * *

 _Next Chapter Preview:_

 **Intersect I**

"How long do you usually last in bed?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "How is that pertinent?"

"Fine. I was being magnanimous and letting you choose how long we'll be pretending to fuck."


	3. Intersect I

_Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but my OCs and plot._

 **AN:** Classes have started and while I should be used to it by now, I was still taken aback by the sheer amount of reading for grad classes. Guess who was halfway through a 400 page book on the origins of mass opinion before she realized that she was supposed to upload a chapter on Friday.

Additional reminder: Intersects take place prior to the main story!

Thank you EtheriaDragneel and fluffpenguin for the reviews!

* * *

The first time they met was as Hound and Owl. He was the ANBU Captain of Team Ro, an ANBU squad that specialized in capture and assassination, with the occasional extraction of highly valuable assets. She was from the ANBU division dedicated to reconnaissance - a division that thrived on solo missions and the occasional partnerships when needed. They had both entered ANBU at different times, with him being her senior by a handful of years. She knew him from rumors from other members of ANBU, and he knew her for her own specialty.

Espionage.

Specifically, Owl had become known for successful back-to-back espionage missions on other Daimyo's courts, using whatever means necessary to gain favorable deals for Konoha, often at the expense of the relationship of the Daimyo with the ninja village he was supposed to be supporting and sponsoring. While espionage missions on their own Fire Daimyo was a commonality, missions to other Daimyo's such as the Water Daimyo and the Wind Daimyo, were not as common.

It was during another mission, where Owl was stuck in the court of the Earth Daimyo and needed extracting, was where Team Ro came in. Or well, at least it was where Hound came in.

His instructions were short. Extract Owl from her position in the court of the Daimyo of the Land of Earth. Of course, orders were easier to give than to accomplish, especially those that involved the Land of Earth, secret infiltration or not. All he had was a day to figure out his disguise, her summons to signal the extraction, and a shirt taken from her apartment for his ninken to track.

#

Two weeks, Yuzuki thought to herself as she walked out of the imperial compound. It took two weeks from her request for an extraction before her summons finally gave her the signal that the extraction had arrived. She didn't blame the person - it was hard to get inside the Land of Earth, especially in the Capital.

There were four gates that controlled who went in and out, with identification papers given and signed by the officers in charge. And to get the identification papers was another process - if you were a foreigner, it had to come from your village and then processed by the Iwa-nin. If you were merely from the smaller villages, then you would have an easier time. It was for that reason that she had an informant of another Konoha spy sign her identification papers. She wasn't sure if her extraction had done the same thing, or found another way around the system.

Her first contact with her extraction was amusing though.

A dog summons, or an Inuzuka. That was her first guess when she felt the soft paws along her foot and saw the small pug. She knelt down and picked the dog up, not minding that her kimono was getting any dirt.

She really had no intention of keeping anything given to her during her stay. She already had the chakra suppression seal, that was bad enough. Yuzuki hoped that Konoha had a seal master ready at the border to get it off her.

"Are you lost? Do you need to find your owner?" She asked as she rubbed the pug's head.

The pug gave her a telling look.

Yuzuki smiled. "I know what I'll do. I'll take you to the temple. It's at the center of the city. The monks can keep you company while sending word that you're there and waiting for your owner."

That was the first signal. Meeting place: temple at the center of the city.

"Anything else?" A gruff voice came from the dog and Yuzuki resisted the urge to drop him.

A pug should not have the voice of an old man who chain-smoked his way through life.

"Black hair would look prettier on me, don't you think?" She whispered even lower. "Especially with a yukata. And my fans." She sighed lowly as she set him on the ground. "Oh how I miss my fans. I had to leave them with the madam that took me in when I first arrived. The brothel with the purple screens."

"Got it. Boss will meet you tonight at ten."

He trotted away after that.

Yuzuki let herself pout as she watched the small dog disappear from her vision. "He didn't even say goodbye."

#

"Going out, Akiko-san?" The guard at the smallest exit from the imperial compound asked her.

The smallest gate was the least protected of the handful of entrances and exits in the compound. It was also the only gate that the concubines and harem girls, such as herself, could use. For that reason, the guard was there for posterity - he was, more often than not, a complete rookie.

Yuzuki, or rather, Akiko, nodded. "I was hoping to meet someone. But I'll be back in maybe three hours."

"I don't think I can let you out that long. You see, I change shifts in two hours."

"I'll be back in two hours. Then you won't get into any trouble a all."

"Thank you Akiko-san."

She made her way to the temple, keeping her senses alert.

By the time she reached the temple, her extraction, with the pug waiting at his feet, was already there. She slowly came up to him, letting him know (if he didn't already) that she had arrived. She stood next to him then, a moment later, reached for him and gave him what outsider's would think was a lover's embrace.

Leaning in, she whispered in his ear. "Two Iwa-nin followed me."

She looked up at him, noticing for the first time that her extraction was not just taller than her but had messy black hair, an eye patch over one eye and a scarf covering half of his face, although she was sure that there was a low-level genjutsu at the ready to mask it.

She smiled at the man she now knew was Hatake Kakashi, the famous ANBU Hound from Team Ro. She was flattered that the Hokage thought her extraction was important enough to send his seemingly favorite. "Lead the way."

#

Yuzuki kept her small smile on her face as she let the man lead her towards his hotel, letting him step forward to open the door to let her in. With a quick glance at her surroundings, she saw that the hotel was somewhat busy that night - with families and couples coming and going.

She was somewhat thankful that while she had a full face of makeup on, she had decided to keep her attire relatively simple - she was still in her kimono, but it wasn't one of her more…revealing outfits. She leaned up towards the man, as if to whisper in his ear. "They're still following us. We'll need to pretend a bit longer it seems." She leaned away to look at him as they started up the stairs. "Now laugh."

Kakashi shook his head and managed to fake a laugh, all while mentally filing away that this was just one of the reasons he didn't do espionage missions unless he was absolutely forced to, preferring the cold and straight forward assassinations and capture and tracking missions. He led her to his room and she let go of his arm.

Yuzuki kept her smile on, letting it one corner of her lips slightly curve upwards to what she knew was her more seductive smile as she walked towards the sole window of the room. She quickly looked outside to the streets, and with little concentration, spotted where the two Iwa-nin who had been following her were. Just across the street, on the rooftops.

She turned back to Kakashi, who had been watching. She crooked a finger and gestured for Kakashi to come closer. While he slowly walked towards her, she ran through the scenario in her head, thinking of all the options in the situation they had found themselves in: two Iwa-nin, a chakra suppression seal, a couple hundred miles from the nearest border of the Land of Earth, all heavily guarded by Iwa patrols.

She blinked and turned her attention back to her temporary companion. She took a breath and put her hands on his hips, pulling him closer. She leaned up to whisper in his ear. "They're still watching. So make it look good."

Almost as soon as she said that, she felt him tug his scarf down, tossing it to the ground as he leaned down to kiss her. It was not rough, it was not gentle, but rather, it was just…there. After all, the important part was making it seem real. For that, all they needed were wandering hands - her hands slowly being buried in his hair, his hands roaming along her back and pulling her close.

She felt one of his hands go to her hair, pulling slightly. "Ow." She muttered under her breath as she closed her eyes and let his lips go down his neck, faking a moan just in case one of their two stalkers had sensitive hearing.

And felt his other hand close the window.

As soon as it was, he leaned off her as she rolled her shoulders. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Yuzuki replied as she stepped away and nodded towards the twin backpacks in the corner, and a plastic bag. She sat down on the bed, taking a moment to lean back and just relax, closing her eyes before fully laying down. "Your ninken give you my message?"

Kakashi nodded as he settled to leaning against the wall, watching her. "Yukata, flat shoes, your fans, and black hair dye."

Yuzuki opened her eyes, looking up at the ceiling. With some strands between two fingers, she looked at the ends of her currently dark blonde hair, calculating the time she needed just to get her hair dark. "It'll take 30 minutes for the dye to set in my hair. I won't be able to start until -" she paused to look at him. "How long do you usually last in bed?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "How is that pertinent?"

"Fine. I was being magnanimous and letting you choose how long we'll be pretending to fuck." She closed her eyes again. "In that case, we'll go with ten minutes. That's me being generous. By the way, may I borrow a kunai?"

Kakashi watched as she stretched leisurely in his hotel room bed. He leaned down and took a kunai from his civilian boot. He threw it her way, and not surprisingly, she caught it without looking.

"Are you testing me?"

"I need to know the skills of the person I'll be working with as we escape from enemy territory, especially since she has chakra suppression seals on her." Kakashi calmly explained.

Yuzuki looked at him with lazy eyes. "And did I pass your test?"

"With passing colors."

Yuzuki twirled the kunai in her hand as she sat up, stretching her back as she did. "Mind if I use your bathroom?"

She didn't wait for her answer as she went inside, taking the plastic bag with her, taking a moment to slip her heels off before going inside, setting the kunai and the bag's contents on the side of the sink. Once she was, she looked at the mirror inside and slowly took the many, many clips holding her thick and long hair up.

Once she finished, and her hair was free from all restraints, she ran her fingers through her hair, evening it out before taking the kunai. After a quick intake of air, she cut her hair with a quick and practiced hand.

When she stepped outside again, kunai twirling in her hand, she already felt lighter. Her eyes met Kakashi's as she stepped towards the bed. "Let's get to the climax, shall we?"

With a foot on the mattress, she thrust her foot forward once, twice, slowly. She saw Kakashi's raised eyebrow, and she shrugged as her foot thrusting began to pick up in speed and force. "Let's go with you were too impatient to last long."

After a minute, she gave one final thrust of her foot, then stood up straight. "Are they gone?"

"I'm not a sensor like you." Kakashi replied. At her raised eyebrow, he sighed. "They're still in the same place."

"Bunch of peeping toms." Yuzuki muttered as she grabbed a backpack. She held it up, and at Kakashi's nod that yes, this backpack was hers, she moved towards the bathroom.

It was five minutes before he heard the shower start, and another thirty before he heard it close. While she was in the shower, Kakashi himself changed out of his plain civillian clothes to more battle ready civilian-styled clothes.

When she did step out, she was in the pale blue yukata he bought for her, her now shoulder length hair was now a shade of black, her usual ocean blue eyes were now green, and contrary to when they met, her face was now devoid of a single trace of makeup. Yuzuki looked at him. "I know. I look young."

"You're younger than me, you are young."

"And yet here we both are, doing decidedly un-youthful things."

* * *

 _Next Chapter Preview:_

 **Chapter Three**

"I think we need to have a talk."

"I really don't like the sound of that, Hokage-sama."

"Luckily, I not only hold rank, but you're stuck in a hospital bed."


End file.
